Refuse incinerator



J. W. HEBERT Nov'. l5, 1949 REFUSE INCINERATCR l Filed Sept. 20, 1947 i INVENTOR. Efo/4f? W f/ebef.'

ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 15, 1949 REFUSE INCINERATOR John W. Hebert, Bay City, Mich., assignor to Valley Welding & Boiler Co., Bay City, Mich.

Application'September 20, 1947, Serial No. 775,261

2 Claims.

This invention relates to incinerators, and more particularly to an incinerator provided with an electric heating element or unit for assisting in drying the refuse preparatory to cornbustion. v

One of the prime objects of the invention is to design a disposal unit in which air inlet openings are provided in the combustion chamber directly adjacent the heating element so that incoming air current flow over and around the heating element, and direct ame and heat away from the unit proper, said air currents further drying the refuse immediately around the element to the end that it will burn prior to the burning of the main mass or body and maintain the heating element at a somewhat lower temperature than would otherwise be possible if no air flow were provided at this point.

Another object is to provide air inlet openings in the combustion chamber side wall directly adjacent the heating element to enable combustible material present in the incinerator to have a reasonable low temperature ignition point, thus necessitating only low initial heating element temperature.

A further object is to provide air passages or openings in the side wall of the combustion chamber directly adjacent the heating element and in substantially horizontal alignment with the openings in the smoke passage, so that the incoming air stream or streams carry the heat away from the heating element by conduction, thus preventing over-heating of the heating element, and simultaneously aiding in the dehydrating process necessary with wet, soggy refuse.

To the accomplishment of the foregoing and related ends, said invention then consists in the means hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims, the annexed drawing and following description setting forth, in detail, certain means and one mode of carrying out the invention, such disclosed means and mode illustrating, however, but one of various ways in which the principle of the invention may be used.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a sectional, side-elevational view oi my incinerator showing the heating element in place, the arrows indicating the direction of oW of incoming air currents.

Fig. 2 is a transverse, sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1 and looking toward the front of the incinerator.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view.

In incinerators of the character described, the heating unit is utilized to produce drying temperature so that the refuse will be considerably dried before iinal ignition takes place; thus obnoxious odors and smoke are eliminated and deleterious eiects are reduced.

In practice, I find that where the heating unit is covered with soggy refuse, the heat generated by the heating element dries the refuse directly in contact with said element and upon ignition further heats the heating unit to the extent that the heating element is unreasonably short-lived, even though the automatic control of the unit operates to cut off the electric current when the temperature reaches a predetermined point, and this is primarily due to the fact that the heating unit is covered with refuse; the heat generated by the element is retained therein, and the temperature of the heating element is further raised by the burning of the surrounding refuse, and these disadvantages I have cured in the instant invention in which the incoming air currents serve to dry the refuse immediately surrounding the unit, so that it burns prior to the main mass or body, these same air currents tending to cool the heating unit and conduct the heat away from the unit during the burning process.

Referring now to the drawing in which is shown the preferred embodiment of my invention. The incinerator comprises an insulated casing 5 provided with a receiving or combustion chamber 6 therein, this chamber being disposed above an ash drawer I which is operable to admit air in a manner to be presently described.

Grate supports 8 are disposed between the chamber 6 and the removable ash drawer l, and a movable grate 9 is disposed above the grate supports and is operable by a shaker bar I0 so that to-and-fro movement can be imparted thereto.

The instant incinerator is of downdraft design, and a flue pipe Il is provided in the rear of the combustion chamber for conducting the products of combustion up the flue Il and through pipe l2 to the atmosphere, and a hinged cover I3 is secured to the open top of the casing to permit dumping of refuse etc. into the receiving chamber.

The electric heating unit is generally designated at I4; it is mounted on the front wall of the receiving chamber 6 by means of a strap or bracket I5, and is supported above the grate 9 so as to project upwardly into the receiving chamber.

As shown in Fig. 1, the electric heating unit I4 is supported cn the front wall I6 of the combustion chamber and is connected to the inner end of a tubular member I1, the outer end of which 3 projects through a sleeve i8 in the rear wall of the incinerating unit, and is rigidly connected thereto by means of retaining units (not shown).

The heating element is preferably, but not necessarily, circular in shape to provide an annulus I9 of round cross section, and suitable wires 2U lead around the annulus, as shown and described-in application for patent .by Charles B. Curtiss, filed April 17, v194:7, Serial No.'742,133, issued May 10, 1949, as Patent No. 2,469,534.

An outlet box 2| is aixed to the free end .of the tubular support l1 for accommodating vcable connections (not shown) with a suitable source of electrical energy, and While inthe present instance the electric heating unitis shown ascircular in shape. it will be readily understood that it can be of any desired shape or design.

A plurality of air inlet openings 22 are provided in the front Wall I6 of Lthe combustion chamber as shown, these openings being directly adjacent to and in horizontal alignment wththe heating unit I4, so that air ows from the .space 23 between the outer shell and the combustion chamber-and over and around the unit I/Jl.

Openings 24 are also provided directly. adjacent to the upper end of the combustion chamber, and similar .openings 25 are provided in thev base and bottom wall 26, so that incoming air ,iiows .upwardlyin the space 23, thence through the openings 24, thence downwardly through the refuse, and thence up through the smoke flue and pipes Il and l2 respectively, a portion of the air entering through the openings 22, flowing over andaround the heating unit, and thence directly across the smoke ue Il.

From the foregoing description,`it Will be obvious thatL'Ihave designed a very simple, practical, and effective drying. and heatdissipating arrangement and construction for the heating units of incinerators and the like.

What I claim is:

l. A downdraft refuse ncinerator comprising an outer casing, a combustion chamber therein and spaced from the outer casing to provide air passages therebetween, a smoke flue communieating with said chamber, openings in the bottom of the incinerator casing and upper end of v,the lchamber respectively, providing continuous `,air passages from the bottom.:of1the incinerator to said flue, an electric heating unit mounted n .the combustion chamber adjacent the front wall thereof, and a plurality of openings in said front Vwall directly adjacent to the heating unit for ad A,mittingair from'said passages at a point below Lthe.. lowerrendpof ,the smoke ue.

v2. A downdraft incinerator of the class described 'comprising 'an insulated outer casing, a

REFERENCES i CITED The I following f referencesV are of record in: the le of i `this patent:

UNITED STATES. PATENTS Name "Date McKinley Aug. .6, 1935 Number 

